Turkey is likely to maintain its restraint in responding to Israeli attacks on Syria until after Israel’s general election in October, as Ankara does not want to throw a lifeline to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s struggling election campaign.
Although Israeli strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria, approximately 70km from the Turkish border, were seen as provocative, they did not surprise officials in Ankara.
Israel claimed that Turkey was preparing to deploy air defence systems at the base.
“Israel has hit other bases in Syria before. There is nothing particularly important about this one,” one Turkish official told Middle East Eye.
The official added that the Turkish government had clearly conveyed its position on Israel’s actions through multiple public statements. Ankara believes Netanyahu is under intense pressure at home and is seeking a way out by escalating tensions with Turkey.
